The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
A typical motor vehicle has numerous injection molded parts, ranging from large body panels to decorative interior trim. These parts are formed by forcing or injecting a viscous material, such as a thermoplastic or thermosetting polymer, into a mold or cavity having the desired shape of the part. Thermoplastics are generally injected under elevated temperatures while thermosets are generally comprised of two different chemical components that crosslink and cure within the mold. The mold itself may take any number of shapes and forms and have multiple cavities.
Many of these parts include an exterior scratch-resistant coating to protect the part from damage during use. However, in parts used as windows where both the interior and exterior surfaces are exposed to the environment, both an exterior scratch-resistant coating and an interior scratch-resistant coating are needed to protect the part from damage. Typically, after the window part has solidified in the mold, the window is treated with two post-processes: first, a scratch-resistant polymer is sprayed onto each side of the window (or alternatively the window is dipped into a scratch-resistant polymer) and then, second, the scratch-resistant polymer is UV cured. While this process is useful for its intended purpose, the post-process treatments increase the cost of the part while providing a level of scratch resistance on the interior of the part that may be excessive. Thus, there is room in the art for a new window part and method of making that provides appropriate scratch resistance while minimizing post-processing.